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The Canadiens are thriving without Patrik Laine in the lineup.
The Montreal Canadiens, per Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet, are looking to trade Patrik Laine. The former second overall pick is on the final year of his contract, carrying a salary of $8.7M per season.
“Montreal is looking to move out his money and might be willing to spend an asset to do that,” said Kypreos. “The Canadiens are prepared to retain a good chunk (even up to 50 per cent) of his deal, considering they haven’t used any retention slots and because Laine’s contract expires at the end of the season anyway.”
One of the teams Kypreos suggested in trade talks was the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, are searching for depth scoring. “The Oilers held their pro scouting meetings last week and came away with a list of top nine forwards they intend to target,” said LeBrun. Laine scored 20 goals last season with the Canadiens. This season, he has just one assist in five games, having suffered an injury in October.
Canadiens Eyeing One for One Trade with Oilers
The Oilers are in an interesting position. They’re second in the Pacific division behind the Vegas Golden Knights. To make things further complicated, they’re quite limited in salary cap space. Per PuckPedia, the Oilers have just $2.88M in space.
The biggest hurdle Edmonton has to cross is what they want to do with Andrew Mangiapane. The 29-year-old forward has just 12 points in 49 games this season with a cap hit of $3.6M through this year and next. Kypreos believes that both the Oilers and Canadiens are in a great place to make a swap.
“Edmonton’s Andrew Mangiapane is also on my list,” Kypreos said. “It makes me wonder if a Montreal-Edmonton match might be found here.” This could be a mutually beneficial deal for both sides. The Canadiens receive salary cap relief, while Edmonton adds extra goal-scoring for their playoff push.
Canadiens Working on Big Splash for Trade Deadline
The Canadiens, on the other hand, need to free up salary to make a big splash. Trading Laine with 50% salary retained nets them $4.35M in relief. Having said that, adding Mangiapane’s salary provides them with just a little over $900K in cap relief. The Habs currently have $978K in cap space, per PuckPedia. Should Montreal decide to avoid a trade for Mangiapane, the $4.35M in relief can be put to use on bigger trade pieces.
The biggest piece linked to Montreal, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic, is Nazem Kadri of the Calgary Flames. “Even after acquiring Phillip Danault earlier in the season, the Canadiens could still use another center to strengthen their ability to go on a playoff run,” Johnston said. “Kadri is a competitor who would immediately raise the ceiling in Montreal.”
“While there’s legitimate concern around how well his contract will age, with another three seasons remaining after this one, the fact he would be in favor of a move to the Habs, according to league sources, should bring a measure of comfort. Kadri has a 13-team no-trade list, and Montreal isn’t on it.”
The NHL trade deadline takes place on March 6th, 2026.
Jake Rivard Jake Rivard (@313Hockey) has covered the Detroit Red Wings for AP, 313 Hockey, Winging it in Motown, Last Word on Sports, and The Hockey. Joined by his cat Jimmy, Jake has made it his goal to spread the word of Hockeytown from sea to shining sea. More about Jake Rivard
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